The United States Cyber National Mission Force has stated that its success depends on the ability to defend malicious cyber threats against foreign malicious cyber actors.

William Hartman, CNMF commander at U.S. Cyber Command, said this in a virtual brief titled ‘A Look at the U.S. Government Security Cooperation Overseas’ on Friday.

The programme was organised by the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Press Centre in collaboration with Meridian International Centre.

“We proactively pursue these foreign adversaries abroad to defend our critical infrastructure. Our defence industrial base and the Department of Defence information networks work missions from election security to nation-state espionage and are often involved in tackling some of the most significant challenges that our nation faces,” said Mr Hartman.

He added, “So, this is a critical aspect of the defence to the military, the nation and about our ability to respond to these threats. We understand collective cybersecurity is about trust, so we do everything in our power to be the absolute best partner possible.”

According to Mr Hartman, the mission force operates across cyberspace to proactively execute offensive and defensive information operations to disrupt ongoing threats targeting the U.S.

“Our operations are specific, they’re targeted, and they’re deliberate. They are coordinated actions that align with international norms that work to disrupt malicious cyber actors before they can threaten us or our key partners,” the commander noted. “But something is more and more clear to us every day. It is the same actors that are threatening the U.S. military in its homeland that are threatening so many others around the world.”

Holly Baroody, deputy commander of CNMF at U.S. Cyber Command, stressed that an excellent cybersecurity posture should start with excellent people.

Ms Baroody said the increased complexity of U.S. technology and threats required highly skilled individuals with diverse perspectives and creative approaches.

“As a global community, we need more cybersecurity talents in both the public and private sector, and we need to increase the diversity of our workforce. This is something that Hartman and I work on every day,” she said. 

(NAN)